LETTER: Catholic school closings an educational tragedy

I cannot stress enough what a tragedy it is that the Archdiocese is closing St. Joseph's School in Kingston and St. Mary of the Snow in Saugerties. This, of course, is true for all the other Catholic schools that are closing all over the country.

I am not Catholic, but I thank God for what the Catholic Church has done for our country in the field of education. For generations of children, it has provided an education that cannot be found anywhere else. Not only have these children enjoyed superior academic instruction, but they have also been taught the difference between right and wrong. They have been taught about God and the importance of respecting their families, peers and teachers.

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It is this type of education that gives children emotional stability and the inner fortitude to face any and every crisis. No number of security systems or armed guards can do better. Such an education is the only way to combat the scourge of violence that is gripping our nation, manifested by the five shootings we have already experienced in this new year alone. And we have yet to recover from the massacre of children at the Sandy Hook School.

God needs to be brought back into our classrooms. We have to stop being afraid of Him. We need to talk about Him, and most of all we need to communicate with Him. This means prayer, an unalienable right that is guaranteed by the Constitution, which says that we should all enjoy freedom of religion.